The FGC has purchased the  Ambion® Complete Human Genome Silencer® Select siRNA library. This library contains three constructs per target (64,752 constructs). The Ambion Silencer Select siRNAs are designed using their most advanced algorithm developed using a machine learning approach. In addition the siRNAs are chemically modified to enhance guide strand bias. This has the effect of maximizing siRNA silencing potency and for decreasing passenger strand related off-target effects. We will be happy to work with you to optimize the transfection protocols for your system and perform screens of the full genome or smaller sets.

Using our Biomek robots we can create custom sub-libraries from our collection to perform targeted small screens of the genes of your choosing.

Facility Email: fgc@arizona.edu

Our team specializes in writing custom programs (methods) and pipelines on our Biomek robots. Whether you need an entirely custom screening pipeline, or just the same few transfers done to a single plate week after week, we are happy to set up your project on our systems. It is our goal to train campus researchers to use our robots unassisted and on their own schedules. We make these instruments available to all trained users for independent use.

We have developed several programs (methods) that are designed to perform common cellular biology tasks in 96 or 384-well plates. These tasks include media swaps, PBS washes, reagent additions, etc. using the Biomek’s 96-tip pipetting head. These methods have been written with button interfaces that allow the operator to select from different plate types, numbers of plates, pipetting speeds and styles, and many other options to allow the operator to customize their usage independently.

We have also created programs to enable the operator to independently daughter and dilute compound libraries, perform cell based immunofluorescent assays (fix, permeabilize, probe with primary and secondary antibodies, wash, and stain).

Facility Email: fgc@arizona.edu

The Functional Genomics Core (FGC) works with investigators to perform all necessary assay optimization and validation. The FGC staff will translate your protocol into a high-throughput workflow on our liquid handling robots. Our team can perform your compound screen, work with your group to perform the screen, or train you to work independently on our systems. The primary limit on the throughput of the screen is the speed of the assay. Simple fluorescence based assays can be read on our CLARIOstar Plus microplate reader, while complex cell phenotyping can be performed on our Operetta CLS, binding assays can be run on our Octet RED384 BioLayer Interferometry (BLI) instrument.

The FGC is integrated with the Arizona Center for Drug Discovery (ACDD) providing resources for investigators conducting research in molecular biology to run live cell, biochemical and other assays. The ACDD, housed in the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy, creates the necessary infrastructure to bridge UArizona researchers with pharmaceutical partners to establish a collaborative environment to advance novel disease intervention findings beyond the laboratory setting. The ACDD works with scientists at the UArizona to develop and perform research projects in drug discovery. The ACDD also maintains compound libraries and provides assay design and optimization support.

For information or support on compound screening or drug discovery contact  Christopher Penton (pentoncm@arizona.edu) with the Arizona Center for Drug Discovery

The staff of the Functional Genomics Core will work with you to optimize your assay to produce the highest quality results on our high-throughput pipelines. We will help you choose the appropriate detection system for your experiment and validate the assay prior to high-throughput processing.

A Simple Statistical Parameter for Use in Evaluation and Validation of High Throughput Screening Assays

• In this publication, a screening window coefficient, called “Z- factor,” is defined. This coefficient is reflective of both the assay signal dynamic range and the data variation associated with the signal measurements, and therefore is suitable for assay quality assessment.

Facility Email: fgc@arizona.edu

The Singer RoToR HDA pinning robot is a dedicated system for pinning arrays of yeast and bacteria. It is designed for rapid replication, arraying, mating and breakdown using 96, 384, 1536, or 6144 density of yeast, bacteria, or fungal libraries from one or more source plates to one or more destination plates. Transfers can be made from agar to agar, liquid to liquid, liquid to agar, or agar to liquid.

A Singer Rotor pinning robot is available for pinning arrays of yeast or other microbes. This instrument can be used to cross thousands of yeast strains to aid in yeast two hybrid screening, creation of novel yeast libraries, or replication of bacterial libraries. The Singer can also be use in conjunction with our Our Biomek FX liquid handling robots to create more complex pipelines, including re-arraying, cherry picking, and normalization/dilution of liquid cultures.

Our core has access to several custom yeast libraries or we can help you build you own.

Facility Email: fgc@arizona.edu

The FGC has two Dual arm Biomek FX liquid handling automation systems. The primary system is equipped with both a Liconic STX-44 live cell incubator and a large capacity Cytomat ambient storage hotel. The Liconic STX-44 incubator has temperature control, humidity control, CO2 control and can shake up to 1200 RPM. This incubator is capable of meeting the needs of most cell types for live cell screening. This system is also equipped with a detachable compound pinning tool, sonicating wash station, and pin drying fan. This robot can perform precision pipetting down to 0.2 µl and precision pinning down to 10 nl.

The second Dual arm Biomek FX liquid handling automation system is equipped with both a large capacity incubated Cytomat storage hotel and and a large capacity Cytomat ambient storage hotel. This system is configured to perform a wide array of liquid handling operations. Both systems can perform high-throughput cherry-picking and plate refactoring, dilution and normalization, and the automation of most molecular biology protocols.

Facility Email: fgc@arizona.edu